Courier’s 2012 Players of the Year

Raekwon McMillan is Liberty County High School's Player of the Year

Liberty County High School finished 6-4 this year and saw several players step up leadership roles. But there is one young man who had made a name before the season started.Raekwon McMillan ended a stellar year earning the Coastal Courier Player of the Year award.McMillan started garnering attention after earning accolades and catching the eyes of recruiters and scouts at spring and summer camps. Immediately after his sophomore season, when he posted 84 tackles with 16 for losses, he was selected to 247sports’ 2014 All-American Team. He was the only player from Georgia selected. He also made 1st Team All-American for MaxPreps’ 2011 U.S. Air Force Sophomore All-American Football Team.By August, McMillan was a potential five-star recruit on rivals.com. He recently earned the five star status and currently has offers from 23 Division I BCS universities.This season, McMillan played on both sides of the ball and put up impressive stats for the offense. The junior had 49 carries for 316 yards and 9 touchdowns and made five 5 pancake blocks on the line.His abilities as linebacker have captured the most attention from recruiters.This year, McMillan had 128 solo tackles, 23 assists, 7 sacks for 48 yards lost, 10 QB hurries, 1 interception, 1 pass deflected, 1 fumble recovered for 15 yards and 5 fumbles caused.He is ranked 189th in the nation in tackles, sixth in Georgia.“What separates Raekwon from other great players is his maturity and his leadership skills,” Panther offensive coordinator Ryan Glazer said. “He is his own critic and is hard on himself when he watches film. Even with all of the college offers and publicity, he has rightfully received, he is coachable. He is a great young man in the classroom (highest GPA in the among juniors on the team) and off the field.”McMillan was selected to play in the Rising Seniors Game in Atlanta Dec. 31. The annual bowl game features the state’s top juniors.McMillan was selected as the 3-AAAA South All-Region Defensive Player of the Year this week.“It’s a great honor and it shows that all the off-season workouts and the extra time in the weight room after school and before school is paying off now,” McMillan said. “God is really blessing me and I’ve been working hard and giving Him the thanks every time I do get accolades.”McMillan continues to hit the weight room every day, either before or after school, and said he is setting goals for his senior year.“Since I’ve played at Liberty I, personally, have not got the chance to play in a playoff game so my goal for next season is to make the playoffs and make a run at state for my senior year,” he said.McMillan has received offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, UCLA, USC and Washington.He has said his top five are Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Alabama and USC, in no particular order. But McMillan has said he won’t declare until the 2014 Under Armour Game.